Thunder tumbles into cellar after loss to Long Beach

Tim Graham

Thursday, Nov. 19, 1998 | 10:34 a.m.

The Las Vegas Thunder posted some impressive numbers. It just didn't do it early or often enough.

The Thunder played a dominant third period yet regained sole possession of the Western Conference basement Wednesday night after losing 3-1 to the Long Beach Ice Dogs at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The loss snapped a two-game winning streak, including a victory in Long Beach on Sunday, and dropped Las Vegas to 5-9-2.

"We proved we could play with them in the third period," Thunder head coach Bob Bourne said. "But I don't feel good about it."

The Thunder outshot the Ice Dogs 14-1 and scored its only goal in the final period, but played uninspired in the first two.

Las Vegas was outshot 23-10 in the first two periods, allowing three goals in the second.

"The first period we didn't do anything," Thunder goaltender Scott Langkow said. "We were outplayed. We just didn't come out with no intensity or nothing. It's been like that all year.

"If we would've started the game like we played in the third period, we would've won the game."

Added Bourne of his players: "They decided not to play in the first period."

Langkow held the Ice Dogs scoreless on 14 first-period shots, but the barrage caught up with him in the second.

"I was just surprised we came out that flat," Langkow said of the second period. "We should've come out with momentum. We should've had confidence."

The Thunder allowed three goals in the second: Patrik Augusta got on the board with a power-play goal at 3:12; Jocelyn Lemieux recorded his first goal of the season, also on a power play, at 11:38; Scott Hollis made the score 3-0 at 17:09.

"You can't play lackadaisical for two periods and expect to come back and score three goals in the third period," Langkow said.

The Thunder did score once in the third, but not without an argument from the Ice Dogs. Keith McCambridge tallied his first goal of the season at 10:59, but the goalposts were knocked off their moorings around the time of the shot, prompting Long Beach goalie Sergei Naumov to contend referee Peter Messana's call.

Another confusing situation went against the Thunder at 13:46 when Sean Berens apparently beat Naumov. The lamp was lit, but Messana waved off the score. A replay proved the ref correct. It showed Naumov caught the puck before losing his balance and tumbling backward into the goal.

The Thunder failed to convert on nine power-play opportunities, including five in the third period. The Ice Dogs scored on 2 of 7.

Bourne had little explanation for his team's inconsistent play.

"I don't know how to explain what happened in the first period," he said.

"It takes really hard work to win a hockey game. You have to play 60 minutes, especially against that team. Until we get that commitment from our players every night we're going to be winning and losing off and on all season."